Model of academy-industry linkage to facilitate the creation and sustainability of technology start-ups in Ecuador

Abstract

The technological entrepreneurship ecosystem in Ecuador presents structural barriers that limit its development, particularly in the scarce articulation between universities and companies, which prevents an effective transfer of knowledge towards the creation and sustainability of start-ups. The objective of the study was to propose an academy-business linkage model that is adapted to the Ecuadorian context, based on the analysis of regional experiences. For this purpose, a qualitative bibliographic review was carried out with 1326 documents extracted from Scopus (2020-2025), complemented with sources from Google Scholar and governmental agencies. A bibliometric analysis was applied using VOSviewer to identify key thematic axes. The results reveal deficiencies in university leadership, incubation structures, cooperation policies and market application. Successful Latin American experiences based on strategic cooperation, practical training and incentive policies were identified. The discussion shows that the lack of adequate institutional and regulatory capacities in Ecuador impedes the scaling up of entrepreneurial initiatives. It is concluded that an effective model must articulate academic leadership, applied training, solid operational structures and public policies that promote investment in R&D&I, thus allowing the consolidation of a sustainable innovative ecosystem.